Naming Islam: A local perspective on a national debate

The controversy surrounding the role of Islam in ISIS and other similar terrorist organizations has been a point of contention in the race for the White House. The issue was brought center stage when, following the San Bernardino shooting in December, 2015, then-presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country. He reiterated this policy after the shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, this past June, in which 49 people were killed by Muslim American Omar Mateen.

Trump also called for President Obama to step down after he did not use the term “radical Islam” to describe the Orlando attack.

Former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, put a similar emphasis on phrasing in his speech at the Republican National Convention. “We must not be afraid to define our enemy,” Giuliani said. “It is Islamic extremist terrorism.”

President Obama explained in an address following the Orlando shooting why he chooses not to use the term “radical Islam.”

“They [ISIS and Al Qaeda] want to claim that they are the true leaders of over a billion Muslims around the world who reject their crazy notions… That’s their propaganda. That’s how they recruit… And if we fall into the trap of painting all Muslims with a broad brush and implying that we are at war with an entire religion, then we are doing the terrorist’s work for them.”

Obama called the arguments surrounding what to call ISIS and other extremist groups a “political distraction.”

What is so special about this term? Why have these two words provoked such a debate? The media offers conflicting reports of its importance and definition.

Chelsea Scudder is a resident of Exeter, has a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from the University of Oklahoma and a masters in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School, with a focus on Islam and Christianity. After graduating from HDS, Chelsea lived in Amman, Jordan where she worked with the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center and the nonprofit Helping Refugees in Jordan.

What is the definition of “radical Islam”?

“It implies that Islam is a radical, existential threat; that the religion itself is inherently radical. And it’s used without broader context, as if peaceful Muslims are the exception, not the rule. Religion is inherently complex, and to reduce it to something one sided for a political agenda is irresponsible.”

Why is there so much controversy surrounding this phrase?

“In part because a lot of the violence reported on by the media is attributed to ‘radical Islam’ or ‘Islamic extremism,’ without further context about Islam or what it means to be Muslim. When Muslims are repeatedly presented by the media negatively and you live, for example, in a community with few Muslims who you may never meet, you only see the negative. You don’t see or hear about the millions upon millions of Muslims who are peacefully going about their lives. Or the many who live right here in our country who are our neighbors and peers.

Why is describing ISIS and other like organizations in a single phrase so difficult?

“Any time we fuel a one-sided narrative, we make it okay to think of something as black and white. When this occurs, and we actively alienate an entire community or group, we foster suspicion, prejudice, and closed minds. In doing so, we harm ourselves and harm those we’re attempting to keep apart. We must be very careful in the way we use language. Communities are healthy and strong when they are diverse, open, and welcoming. ”

Which term is most appropriate to describe these extremist groups?

“Islamism [used by Hillary Clinton] implies a political movement or ideology, not the whole religion. Any phrase that doesn’t implicate the entire religion is at least better. The problem with any phrasing is when it is used without people knowing what it means — without giving any further context. Even the more sensitive, nuanced phrases can have a negative effect when used without context. Islam is not a sound bite, as much as some would like it to be.”

How important is phrasing?

“I don’t fully understand Islam by any means, and I’ve studied it for eight years. People are often afraid and angry about what they don’t understand. When you have a packaged phrase like “radical Islam” that seems to explain acts of terror, it makes it tempting for people to get behind that kind of generalization. When we can point a finger at a problem, we feel more in control. But it’s an illusion. Islam is a religion of 1.6 billion people. If it was inherently violent, the world would be total anarchy. Islam encompasses vast, incredibly diverse categories of culture, history, and human behavior. Islam is approximately one fourth of humanity. There’s no reducing it to one thing.”

What is the positive side of Islam that the media often misses?

“Islam shares roots with Judaism and Christianity. The Quran states that honor and respect should be given to those traditions. It advocates peace. There are really strong feminist movements in Islam. Some of the best feminist writing I’ve seen has been by Muslim women. The first Muslims in our country were slaves from Africa. They have a much longer history in America than people assume.

“A lot of Muslims are strongly oriented toward social justice and, just like you and me, the vast majority of Muslims care about being good family and community members. I think the best thing that people could do who are afraid of Islam — and the same goes for any fear of the unknown — is to go out and meet people who practice this faith and get to know them a little bit. So much of the way we see the world is through personal experience. If you actively seek to confront the unknown, you will often complicate your experience in a positive way. Muslims are not something ‘other’. They’re just human beings like us. They’re our neighbors, colleagues, teachers, classmates. We have a lot to learn from each other, and we don’t often take the time to do that.

So yes, as Scudder said, we must be cautious about what we call radical groups like ISIS. But this is the wrong question to be asking. The point is that in every situation, from what we decide to call radical groups to how we treat ordinary Muslims, we must remember that extremists make up a tiny percentage of the Muslim population. Are the members of ISIS Muslims? Yes. But so are the millions upon millions of peaceful Muslims, and so is Malala Yousafzai, the young girl who stood up for education and was shot in the head by the Taliban. So is Captain Humayun Khan, the Muslim American officer and hero who died defending the United States. The crimes of the few do not justify the persecution of the many, especially when countless members of said many have shown their valor and compassion.

As a country, we have made a promise. This promise stands regardless of religion. It is written on the base of the Statue of Liberty:

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